Memos from Mom - The Incredible Egg 🥚
Welcome back to our Memos from Mom journal! This month, Mom tells us all about EGGS! One of our favorite foods, she lets us in on some of her recipes, egg symbolism, and even some cocktails that utilize the ever-popular egg. We’ll also see that there are many other non-food related uses for these adorable lil round ovals of perfection. With springtime and the month of Easter in full swing, read on for some egg-celent eggy content.
The coming of spring is usually the time we begin to see eggs everywhere – in advertisements, store displays and home décor, as examples. Even recipes featuring eggs as a main ingredient become ubiquitous. Yay for those of us who love eggs!
Eggs have been a symbol of spring for a very long time – some say as long ago as ancient Rome. They have traditionally symbolized new life, fertility and reproduction so their connection to spring, a season of rebirth and renewal, makes total sense.
On the other hand, some people believe that breaking an egg is a bad omen, a prediction of unfortunate things to come. I, however, believe that breaking an egg predicts only good things – the good things that come out of the kitchen! So, let’s talk about my favorite recipes featuring eggs. I’ve got too many to count, but here are a few, from different food groups, that make it to the top of my list:
Classic Deviled Eggs
Who can resist the allure of a beautiful arrangement of deviled eggs? Even the special plates on which they are often presented can be gorgeous! Maddie even spent an entire year searching for the perfect deviled eggs platter. She finally found one at an antique mall in San Marcos. Whether served as a sophisticated appetizer or a picnic staple, deviled eggs are easy to make, easy to eat, and taste great with any number of delicious additions. Here’s the recipe that my mother-in-law, Maddie’s Grandma Rosalie, passed on to me:
Maddie’s long-sought-after deviled eggs platter
6 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and cut lengthwise
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
½ teaspoon powdered mustard
½ teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Paprika
Remove yolks and mash with butter. Add remaining ingredients, except paprika, and mix well. You can use a hand mixer if you’d like. Refill egg whites with a piping bag or spoon. Sprinkle tops with paprika.
The lox deviled eggs we made last Thanksgiving.
Change the flavor of your deviled eggs or fancy them up by adding these mix-ins or toppers:
Green onions Everything bagel seasoning
Dill Hot sauce
Crispy bacon bits Olives
Roasted red pepper Old Bay
Crab meat Avocado
Smoked salmon Chives
Use your imagination to make a deviled egg that hits all the right flavors for you! With a base as versatile and the egg, the possibilities are endless.
Pisco Sour Cocktail
I once worked for a global corporation with operations in Peru and had the opportunity to meet with representatives from this region who gifted us with bottles of pisco. Pisco is a liquor distilled from Peruvian grapes and is informally known as the national drink of Peru. The cocktail features a foamy egg white topper.
2 ounces pisco
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup
1 egg white
Put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously without ice until egg white is foamy (about 10 seconds). Add ice to the shaker and shake again until very well chilled. Strain into a chilled rocks or old fashioned glass and garnish with a few drops of Angostura bitters.
Lemon Meringue Pie
My father (Maddie’s Grandpa Joe) loved lemon meringue pie. The recipe requires both egg yolks and egg whites and serves as a great testimony to the versatility of eggs in cuisine. This pie is easier to make than it looks and is so delicious! I typically use the 9-inch pie recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook from 1978!
For the meringue:
3 egg whites
Grandpa Joe holding baby Maddie. He loved lemon meringue pie!
ÂĽ teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat! Beat in vanilla.
For the pie crust and filling:
9-inch baked pie shell (I use pre-made pie shells from the grocery store and follow directions on the package for pre-baking, but feel free to use your own recipe.)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-1/2 cups water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
½ cup lemon juice
Heat oven to 400o. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 1-1/2 quart saucepan. Stir in water gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir about half of the hot mixture gradually into the egg yolks. Be slow and careful as you do this so you don’t scramble the yolks! Blend into the remaining hot mixture in the saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Pour into pie shell. Spoon meringue onto hot pie filling. Spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust to prevent shrinking or weeping. Bake until delicate brown, about 10 minutes. Cool away from draft.
Nutritional Value of Eggs
Also good for springtime photoshoots.
According to the folks at Healthline.com, eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. A single large egg has 78 calories and contains 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat. It is full of vitamins A, B2, B5, and B12 as well as important trace minerals including folate, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, phosphorous and selenium. If you’re worried about cholesterol from eating eggs, don’t be. Although eggs are high in cholesterol, decades of research has shown that for most people, eating eggs does not significantly impact blood cholesterol levels. So eat those eggs and enjoy them!
Other Interesting Uses for Eggs
Besides being a near-perfect food, eggs can be used for many purposes outside the kitchen:
· Egg whites make a great base for face masks. Whisking an egg white until frothy and adding optional ingredients such as lemon juice or honey can nourish the skin and tighten pores. Apply to your face, leave on for up to 15 minutes, and rinse with warm water.
· The nutritional value in eggs can benefit your hair as much as your health. Make a hair mask with an egg yolk and about 3 tablespoons each of honey and olive oil. Mix together, rub into your hair and leave on for about 30 minutes before rinsing.
· Your plants will benefit from eggs too! Give the water from boiling eggs to your houseplants once it returns to room temperature. Or, add ground eggshells to the soil to add minerals and keep soil loose and aerated.
· Eggshells make great containers for starting seedlings. The Farmer’s Almanac refers to eggshells as “nature’s perfect seed starters” and provides easy directions on how to use this nutritious, biodegradable resource. Just fill empty eggshells with soil and seeds. Keep them in the egg carton and water periodically until sprouting occurs. When it’s time to transfer the seedlings, you can plant the eggshell directly into your garden or pot where it will contribute to the nourishment of your plants and soil.
Eggs certainly are simple, symbolic, versatile, nutritious and delicious! Why not hard-boil a few and keep them in your housedress pockets for a portable, protein-packed snack for you or the kids? Happy crackin’!